@john_s: "I took a little bicycle trip around the Fleet Center this afternoon to
check things out before the blizzard fully moves in.  The streets
surrounding the Fleet Center (e.g. Causeway, Canal, etc) are cordoned
off to cars.  There are numerous barriers, and streets are blocked with
large dump trucks.  At every street corner there are at least 4
policepeople standing around and looking pretty bored.  Some
policepeople were talking to the few customers outside at one bar.
Looking up at the abandoned green line el structure, several people in
military uniforms watched over the block from their vantage point with
their rifles.  Numerous federal marked vehicles and unmarked black
government Suburbans were spotted all over the area and around Park
Street as well.
At first I was hesitant to ride a bike into the area, but I just smiled
at the police and rode between the  curb and the dump truck into the
no-car area.  It's actually kind of neat to be biking up and down the
streets since there aren't any cars.  There were some people milling
about (mostly wearing badges) and a handful of other bikers, but all
were outnumbered by the large clusters of state and local
policepersons.  Along Causeway there are anti-riot pedestrian barriers
two rows deep.   Near an  entrance in the barriers, a sign was posted
DNC with an arrow pointing to the right.  Somebody had posted a peace
sign underneath with an arrow pointing to the left.   There are more of
these barriers throughout the area, sometimes separating the sidewalk
from the street, making it hard to cross the street.
Along Causeway Street, adjacent to the FleetCenter, a lot of temporary
buildings are in place.  I suspect this is for the press or just
creature comforts for the attendees but who knows.
Even though it was a beautiful day all of the restaurants and bars on
streets like Canal were empty or close to it.  Proprieters were standing
in doorways as if to beg people to come in, but there weren't really
that many people on the streets.  Moving into the North End, a random
parade was going down the street with a band and everything.  There
appeared to be no police presence at all or anything to control the
traffic.  Perhaps all the police were protecting the Fleet Center and
Beacon hill instead.  I tried to bike across the Charles River dam, but
it is closed to the public.  No idea when it will reopen, hopefully
after the blizzard.  I biked underneath the Mystic River (tobin) Bridge
approaches to watch a large Norwegian freighter going out to sea.  Not
surprisingly there isn't any security (physical or people) underneath
the bridge.  Why bother with the security if there isn't anyone to
notice it?
Later, as I rode by the BU Bridge, a CSX locomotive was pulling 20
refridgerated cars (mostly UP stock) across the river to the northside
at a pretty good clip.
Good luck everyone, especially if you work/live in the city."
    @rnewman: "<quote>
St. Joseph's Feast, the first of five large annual Italian "religious" 
festas in the North End.  The next one is St. Agrippina's, next weekend."
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